Computer networks often include multiple computing devices that perform substantially similar security analyses on the same network data packets. For example, a computer network may include a gateway device that facilitates transmission of data packets from source computing devices to target computing devices. In this example, upon receiving one or more data packets from a source computing device, the gateway device may perform one or more security analyses (such as an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) analysis, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) analysis, an antivirus analysis, and/or a firewall analysis) on the data packets prior to forwarding the same to a target computing device. However, upon receiving the data packets forwarded from the gateway device, the target computing device may redundantly perform the same security analyses on the data packets.
Unfortunately, such redundant security analyses may consume valuable network resources and prevent the computer network from achieving optimum performance. What is needed, therefore, are systems and methods for eliminating redundant security analyses performed by different computing devices included in a computer network without compromising the level of security provided by the network.